✨Highlights and Bombshells💥

[Susurration]

I was a teacher (mostly English as another language) for about 7 years

I used to do that a very long time ago .

 

[Love_Is_Blonde]

I don't want to retire. I want to work less, and in a way which will fit my age and experience. But I have a very long list of things I haven't yet done, places I haven't yet been, and causes I'd like to support. I want the financial autonomy to do all those things properly. And I also want time to write and think.

Retirement is when I'm past it. I don't want to be past it. I want to be looking forward to the best things yet to come.

I think that the word “retirement” triggered the image of people at the end of their lives, ready to not do much of anything all day but sit around and watch paint dry. And that’s not really what I meant …

I should have asked where do you see yourself in the next phase of your life?

I don’t ever see you slowing down totally. And I agree with you; there is so much more that I want to see and do, places to visit and things to learn about. I get depressed when I sit around for a long time and don’t do much for a while. (Except for when I’m sitting outside, listening to waves or to the birds in the forest… that’s very peaceful).

Either where I am now, or I'll upgrade to a castle. Know any princesses?

Following her King of Coins…

The fun bits of what I do now, with the dull bits replaced by other, more interesting ones.

And more sex. Definitely more of that.

Indeed she can

I know. You're coming off the high from buying all the stationery and supplies, and then suddenly it's the grim reality of cardboard boxes and meetings. But the boxes will eventually be flattened, and even the longest strategy meetings have to end when a critical mass of bladders need the bathroom.

They haven’t learned the “ok we will both ask to go to the bathroom at 10:20..” trick yet. But it won’t take long. These kids are smart.

You'll get there. You always do.

Thank you

 

[Love_Is_Blonde]

A small, modest house near the beach on the island of Kauai -- something between a bungalow and a million dollar home. I own a large crate with about forty books inside it -- stored away and designated as my "retirement reading." I'll take with me my three prized possessions: my crate of books, a good chessboard, and a restaurant grade blender for frozen cocktails.

I like the way you think.

Are you a chess player? Do you follow a certain standard series of steps? Or do you just figure it out as you go? What did you think of The Queen’s Gambit?

I'm nowhere near this, but if a girl (our facilitator) can dream, I guess a boy can as well.

And a well-timed, hearty laugh from Love_Is_Blonde. I also loathe the first month of school, but I'd also add the long month of September with no days off after Labor Day and leading into half of October.

I think you are looking pale…feverish. I think you might just have to take a day off in about a week ..

There a lot to unpack in the question. Being honest I think I’ve spent my life sort of assuming I wouldn’t get too old, men in my family just don’t (for lots of reasons not just genetically related traits, but still) so I’ve never really thought too hard about it.

I did recently buy a business that knock on wood I can run with the assistance of my wife and son until I die. Because I don’t really want to have nothing to do. Covid taught me that I’m not gonna write the great American novel or learn French or play the guitar no matter how much free time I have . So responsibilities and work are good for me. I like them. I just like them on my terms.

This makes me think of a new question that I will have to come back to…

And I like where we are. The river is pretty. We get a little snow but not too much.

Fingers crossed nothing medically terrible that requires more than the somewhat limited rural facilities can handle happens.

keeping them crossed

Also, I fucking hate golf.

I’ve never played. But I definitely hate minigolf.

I’m terrible at planning things and retirement sounds boring to me. Not that I want to work forever, but I assume I’ll continue doing something. Not knowing what that will be is more exciting to me than planning on something.

I’ve wung it this far, so I’ll continue winging it.

You are not a planner. That’s one constant thing I’ve noticed about you since I met you years ago! You do not like to plan. I sort of admire that because it is so very opposite of the way I am. I plan for planning. I get ready to plan. So to be able to just…BE. That’s pretty neat to me. also scary.

I thought I was way off from this, but since the clusterfuck of this administration decided federal workers were evil, I’m currently retired.

Ugh I’m sorry

Planning on going back to work though. It came at an opportune time though. Primarily retired life for me is helping my wife while she’s fighting cancer, so that sucks, but at some point we’re going to do a lot of traveling while continuing to do a lot of artistic stuff.

I know that you guys have been battling for a while now. I’m sending you all the hugs.

I was a teacher (mostly English as another language) for about 7 years

Yesss high five to another teacher

How to figure out any computer program

A computer and random software

They would be able to at least figure out the basics of most computer programs or where to find out more on how to use it

Have them do projects

A specific course on whatever program

My answers are boring but it’s from an actual class I used to teach that I have to say I was really good at. It was a basic Office skills class that did the basics of Word & Excel, but I tried to make sure the students knew how to figure things out for themselves.

I need to learn more about excel. So it doesn’t sound boring to me at all. I’d take your class!

Keep moving until my body disintegrates into stardust and flies off in a solar wind.

Seriously, whether I'm working, playing, or whatever, Ima keep on moving this stuff around. Hiking, biking, swimming, fucking.

I think I want to move into the mountains. Create a place for my descendants to live centuries from now. Probably not near Yellowstone- I mean, nowhere else on earth says powderkeg better. Pretty there, but shit, just say no to volcano.

 

[Love_Is_Blonde]

Sometimes Less is More
​

I was reading an article by Maria Popova in which she described a book that she was enjoying that contained memoirs from people aged 8 - 35. The extra twist was that these memoirs were all limited to only 6 words each and they were illustrated. She talks about how, at first, this seemed like an impossible task, or one that with such strict limitations, would produce a product so uninteresting and one-dimensional that it wouldn’t be very compelling. But what she discovered was that sometimes, when given the strictest parameters to follow, you have no choice but to let your imagination run wild.

Here are some examples of these 6- word illustrated memoirs. More can be found in Things Don’t Have To Be Complicated by Larry Smith.






So, if you were to encapsulate a portion of your life - because the assignment for the above projects was broken into portions of their lives (grade school, teen years, young adulthood, later in life/current life), what would a six word memoir be for you? Do you have a photo, a work or art, a song, … something to help illustrate your memoir that you would like to add?

If not, do any of the above memoirs resonate with you?

I’m going to try and think about this for a bit- I take a bit to process.

 

[Love_Is_Blonde]

My 6 word memoir:

Treasure is everywhere. Just pay attention.



*photo from my trip to San Francisco this summer. I happened to notice this on the sidewalk in Chinatown.

 

[Mei5ter]

Well this has got me thinking on a Saturday morning

My six word memoir for part of the last decade:

 

[Lmizzler]

I haven’t spent tons of time thinking about this but it’s have spent some. And wow! This is a difficult challenge

 

[Love_Is_Blonde]

Well this has got me thinking on a Saturday morning

My six word memoir for part of the last decade:
View attachment 2561341

I love this. Thank you for sharing this.

I think what I like about these 6 word memoirs is that, just like the title of the prompt suggests, the less words written, the more Im forced to fill those gaps on the page with my own thoughts.

For example, to think of you @Mei5ter as lukewarm about anything just doesn’t compute to me. So when I read this and think about what I know about you, I have a visual of alllllllll the things that you do, even before you get your first cup of coffee in the morning, and that’s probably why it’s lukewarm.

These are personal though. They’re journal entries, and sometimes how we see ourselves is so different than how others see us. It’s just so interesting and each one could be a long discussion, especially if you knew and cared about the author.

 

[Love_Is_Blonde]

I haven’t spent tons of time thinking about this but it’s have spent some. And wow! This is a difficult challenge

Yes it is, isn’t it?

I look back on some of the 6 word memoirs shared and there’s a little bit of wistful quality about them. Others have a powerful feel. Some have an adventurous feel. I just really liked the challenge of the encapsulation and then what thoughts it prompted.

 

[Love_Is_Blonde]

I guess another part of this that may have made it more of a discussion would be to elaborate on the 6 word memoirs. But then it wouldn’t be open ended for others to think about and draw their own conclusions.

Also they are personal so it’s one thing for someone else to interpret what I wrote. It’s another for me to talk about what my own memoir is about, if that makes any sense.

 

[Wand3rlust]

and yet she always wanted more

 

[EvaLane]

So, if you were to encapsulate a portion of your life - because the assignment for the above projects was broken into portions of their lives (grade school, teen years, young adulthood, later in life/current life), what would a six word memoir be for you? Do you have a photo, a work or art, a song, … something to help illustrate your memoir that you would like to add?

Somehow, I am hyper focused on an exercise I participated in months ago. There are typically six emotions attached to the project, sometimes less, sometimes more.

I’d really like to share some of my favourite finds from others who participated that I resonate with.

This is the template that they begin with.



I think they’re all quite special memoirs in their own way.

I’ll have to think on this more, but it’s a fantastic prompt @Love_Is_Blonde

 

[Lmizzler]

Taken hits, but not knocked down.

 

[cheekygirl75]

My six word memoir:

You should do all the things

 

[Love_Is_Blonde]

@Wand3rlust , @Lmizzler , @EvaLane , @cheekygirl75 , thank you for sharing your memoirs. I keep rereading them and each time I do, I think of how they could mean something different depending on what frame of mind the reader is in, too. I can think of times when I could have said something similar to each of these. And those are some memories I hadn’t dug for in a while.

 

[EvaLane]

So, if you were to encapsulate a portion of your life - because the assignment for the above projects was broken into portions of their lives (grade school, teen years, young adulthood, later in life/current life), what would a six word memoir be for you? Do you have a photo, a work or art, a song, … something to help illustrate your memoir that you would like to add?

Find the water, fix the leak

 

[Love_Is_Blonde]

@EvaLane I love that

And each of those parts could be its own memoir.

Back to your pictures you shared with the emotions template exercise, I’d love to hear more about that. How do you go from your blank template to filling it?

 

[BreukelenAnima]

Generously borrowed from Bruce Springsteen, my six word memoir right now would be...

 

[velona]

So I’ve been thinking about your prompt @Love_Is_Blonde my first thought was to go with something a bit darker but after considering, my six word memoir would be:

Reading, listening, talking, exploring -
always learning

 

[LordofDargaardkeep]

my memoir would read...

WHAT AN AWESOME RIDE ITS BEEN!

 

[Cat]

Perfectionism was always a dead end.


​

 

[Love_Is_Blonde]

So I’ve been thinking about your prompt @Love_Is_Blonde my first thought was to go with something a bit darker but after considering, my six word memoir would be:

Reading, listening, talking, exploring -
always learning

I’ve been thinking about what you said, @velona, and I hope that you feel comfortable writing whatever you are feeling.

My 6 word memoir could be hopeful one moment and dark the next and then sad and then scared… I have a range of emotions that could be expressed with this prompt. I don’t want you to change anything bc of any perceived parameters from me. Please use this space however you’d like to.

 

[SalaciousMonkey22]

I guess my six word memoir is

You’ll feel better if you move.

 

[hotwords229_A]

I guess my six word memoir is

You’ll feel better if you move.

Move - Motion?
Or
Move - Location?

 

[SalaciousMonkey22]

Move - Motion?
Or
Move - Location?

It works in a variety of ways.

But mostly the former